The UK was hit by some of the worst flooding ever recorded in Cumbria and Wales last week, devastating homes and claiming lives.
As concern grows for flood-hit communities in Cumbria and an urgent inspection of the county’s bridges gets underway as more rain is forecast, environment secretary Hilary Benn gave an emergency statement to the Commons. The government has already pledged a £1m fund to local authorities in flood hit areas.
Benn began his statement by paying tribute to PC Barker. He also announced the death of another man – Michael Streeter a contractor for the Environment Agency who died while repairing flood defences in West Sussex.
But the environment minster chose to end his statement with a warning about global warming:
“Although we cannot attribute this particular event to climate change, we can expect to see more extreme weather in the years ahead. This is a future we must prepare for,” he said.
For up to the minute flooding news visit the Guardian’s live blog.
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